GENEVA: Switzerland said Monday that it had suspended plans to replace its ageing nuclear power plants amid fears of a nuclear disaster in Japan, stressing that safety is of utmost priority.

Swiss authorities have “decided to suspend the ongoing procedures concerning the general authorisation requests for the replacement of nuclear power plants until security standards can be carefully re-examined and, if necessary, adapted,” the Federal Office for Energy said in a statement.

The Federal Inspectorate for Nuclear Security has been ordered to “analyse the exact causes of the accident in Japan and to draw conclusions on possible stricter new standards.”